About me

Hi !

I have been working as IT manager (CTO) for a large company based in France for 26 years, and I’m now founder and managing director of IT-11 Audio in blues rock music gear business : amps, effect pedals, guitars !

I am guitarist, have been playing guitar for 40 years … very influenced by the ’60s and ’70s.

I service and build tube amps and effect pedals.

I publish on my blog information related to my main subjects of interest … Have fun !

22 Responses to About me

Hello. I have an enjoyable day job as well and am an avid slave to the never-ending pursuit of my ultimate blues/rock tone. I don’t want my tone to sound like anyone else, but I don’t want it to sound so far away from my influences either. I love those tones.

I also own an original Blues Breaker pedal (signed off on by Tasha) and have found your site to be the best I’ve found for someone who -like me- knows my way around a soldering iron and have done lots of mods but am not expert at all. I have lots to learn about the actual process that is happening within each component – I’M AN ADDICT!

Hi t-geek, upto 1973 I built Nolan amps at Pat Nolan, Holloway, London, Kelly’s sister amp, we also distributed Kelly Amps (good friends), I left the trade 1974 and went into consumer electronic repairs (TV trade in Spain), also hobby guitarist, ballads & blues. Good article on the Kelly 50W head, I had one (with the nameplate on the right hand side of the head) in my musical days. I am now retiring, so I’ll be getting back to some amp building and guitar playing. Cheers Frank Almeria, Spain

Nice message, thank you ! My Kelly is still out of order, waiting for a new output transformer. So I spend a lot of time servicing Marshall, Hiwatt, Vox and all these great amps that made history of rock’n’roll. I have also a Carlsbro CS60CT waiting, and I received yesterday a nice Marshall PA 20 (1917) head. For the time being, I’m on a Marshall 2203, then I will have a look on a friend’s Hiwatt DR103 …

Oh dear, just seen this msg Patrick, should’ve looked me up, Almeria is small. Sad I missed you. Retired in 2012, been building guitars, mainly kits and modding amps, check out “Aprendiz de Luthier” and “The Amp Hobbyist” in facebook. See you there. All the best old pal, Frank.

it looks like your JMP 50w has wrong bias splitter resistors. they show as two 82k. if you have 6650s should be 150k and EL34 should be 220k. Looks stock, so marshall put in wrong parts? they do use an 82k in the phase inverter plate, so maybe someone got confused and grabbed two more 82k for the bias split feeds?

Hi . Amp freaks. I used to also build amps for Pat Nolan in Holloway. I wonder if he is still alive. He must have been desperate. I just copied the wiring and components from another amp he left me. Most of the time it didnt work. Then he’d come in and show me a wire was missing. Must have been a wireless. He had an alsatian guard dog who I was very fond of. He liked me cause I always took him for walks. Not sure what year this was though. Also Pat liked me because I tided up a lot. What a mess that shop was in. Great Days. Im 67 now and have a place in Mojacar. (Almeria ) . Just a holiday apartment. Wish I had one of those amps now. Peter

Hi Peter, Hope all is well with you. I recently purchased a 2 channel 4 input amplifier whose only identification is ‘Multi-Purpose 50′ on the red plexi panel. Despite the relative lack of online info, I have since discovered that it is probably a Nolan built amp, hence I am corresponding with you! I have seen an identical amp online but with a Flame badge on it, which I believe confirms it’s Nolan heritage. I was wondering if you would be prepared to share some information with me about this wonderful sounding piece of rare musical history? With thanks. All the best, Leon Cain.

Hi everyone! Very interesting to see 2 former Nolan techs here! I have a 100w head myself. Just examining it closer as I will re cap her. Its a later PCB board with a silver control panel and has a red Nolan badge on the cab. I see this has 4 x 200uf+100uf red CCL caps which I’ve never seen before and a 32uf+32uf. Also my one doesn’t have a choke and I was wondering did the earlier ones have? What a golden time it must have been building these in a shop in London! Did Pat himself know his stuff ?(Jim Marshall didn’t!). Any ideas what this amp was based on? A Marshall, Selmer, Sound City or Hiwatt? I look forward to a reply!

Hi… I have an original Marshall Bluesbreaker pedal as well. Hasn’t been used for years and I dug it out the other day… Bit gritty and crackly and I forgot that there is nothing until almost full from the pedal. Just wondered if you undertake the mod updates these you wrote about in the blog?

Hello I am from Portugal, and I have an amp Music Man amp Model 115-RP-100, Chassis nº 2100RP. When I turn on and play, the low frequency always distorces. When I turn on or off the treble or midle or bass, the volume changes I already change the tubes, I tried other speakers , I change some capacitors. What can I do? Need help Can you send me also the layout diagram?